Persimmons get a bad rap as overly tart, but the fruit actually tastes sweet and creamy when fully ripened. / MATTHEW H. STARLING / The Tennessean

Written by

Tammy Algood

For The Tennessean

ABOUT

Tammy T. Algood is a food marketing specialist and author of “Farm Fresh Southern Cooking” and “The Complete Southern Cookbook.” Reach her at 615-837-5347 or ttalgood@bellsouth.net. For recipes and more, read Tammy’s blog at http://tammyalgood.wordpress.com.

You asked for it

Lee Hanson of Nashville wants to know how to make her own pumpkin pie spice.Lee, I don’t blame you for making your own. This is a spice mix that is frequently only utilized around the holidays, so it is not necessary for most to purchase it premixed. The blend consists of ground cinnamon, ginger and equal amounts of cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Use 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger and 1/8 teaspoon each of cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

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A friend of mine asked me what the topic was going to be for this week, and when I told her persimmons, she immediately responded, “No one likes those.”

When I asked her if she had ever tried them, she said no! So, I’m asking for you to have an open mind and consider getting out of your produce comfort zone and give these mouth-watering fruits a try.

Let me expand a bit on the flavor, because it is unlike any other fruit I’ve ever enjoyed. The juicy pulp tastes like a deliciously odd mixture of apricots, plums and honey — with perhaps a bit of creamy pumpkin pie thrown in for good measure. It is succulent and seductively sweet.

There is nothing better than a perfectly ripe persimmon and nothing worse than an unripe one. There is no confusing the two. Unripe ones are horribly astringent, which is why the fruits are not harvested until they are ready to eat. The season is very short, so if you don’t take advantage of the crop now, you will have to wait until next fall for it to hit again. They will be available for at least another month.

The trees are medium-size hardwoods that belong to the ebony family. They have beautiful dark green leaves during the growing season that change to brilliant fall colors before falling off the tree. The trees commercially are kept small in height, which makes the fruits easy to reach when harvesting.

When purchasing, look for plump, smooth fruits with no breaks or cuts in the skin. Frequently, you’ll see them with the stem cap still attached to the fruit. Green ones are unripe and those that range from yellow to red are perfect.

There are oodles of recipes for puddings, breads, ice creams and salads — and I usually make them all at some point. Right now, my favorite way to eat them is cut in half and broiled with just a sprinkling of brown sugar. It tastes like a fine fruit custard.